If intelligence isn’t high on your list of what you look for in a woman, then may want to add it because according to new research having a smart wife could make you live longer.
Brains and beauty have long been considered the ultimate combination in a partner, but now experts have claimed it could actually benefit your health and fight degenerative diseases like dementia.
Scientists at the University of Aberdeen carried out studies on identical twins and found those married to intelligent women were less likely to suffer from dementia.
In some cases, those with smarter spouses showed physicals signs of the disease in brain scans but, showed no symptoms in real life.
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Professor Lawrence Whalley emeritus professor of mental health at the College of Medicine and Life Sciences at Aberdeen University explained: “The thing a boy is never told he needs to do if he wants to live a longer life – but what he should do – is marry an intelligent woman. There is no better buffer (to dementia) than intelligence.”
It was previously believed doing crosswords and puzzles could act as a buffer to dementia because of the mental stimulation it provided, but now Professor Whalley claims a mentally challenging partner to have engaging and thought provoking conversations with could be just as valuable for fighting off the disease.
So anyone complaining about having a wife or partner that keeps on at them all day, should really be thanking them for keeping their brains ticking over.
It isn’t just your partner’s intelligence, according to Professor Whalley highly intelligent people in “high-powered jobs” are more likely to avoid developing the symptoms of dementia.
It isn’t the only factor to consider though, according to Professor Whalley who claimed everything from your father’s job to your mother’s diet while pregnant could impact on your chances of developing the disease.
“Environmental factors in your childhood, such as your father’s job status, have an effect, as does your mother’s diet during pregnancy.Your childhood IQ, your job income, your educational attainments all have an effect in later life,” he said.
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Valuing female intelligence hasn’t always been a man’s best trait, with a study carried out by Lora Park, a social psychologist at the University of Buffalo discovering that while men value smart women – it’s usually at a distance.
According to Psychology Daily, the study found that while, initially, men found smart women attractive once closer contact was established, in general, it became a negative attribute and in some cases, the thought of dating someone as or more intelligent than them was a big turn off.
Maybe they will change their tune now they know it will help them live longer.
